Zephrun’s Imperium

The world fell away for a moment. Riva felt her breath leave her chest suddenly, her heart pounding in her ear. "Excuse me?" she hissed, face pale, mouth hanging open.

"Ah, well, spit it out, we're big girls, we can handle it. Isn't that right, Caden?"

Riva folded her arms, shifting her weight to her left hip. "Then what?" Suddenly she smirked. "Is the General getting to visit my dungeons?"

The Raveness - having come from the dungeons - arrived after Caden did, entering without a knock. When she saw the burly general she glared. "Are we discussing the fate of the child who was captured last night?" she asked. "If so, I wouldn't worry. I had a maid give her a room and will be taking care of her needs from here on out, unless you request otherwise."

Maverick slumped down in a soft chair and sighed heavily, closing his eyes and just letting himself breathe. Stars above, Darrin... What he'd said to the man had probably been too harsh. Maverick didn't actually want his brother to die, of course not. He didn't want him to get tortured either, but he did believe that nothing else would get through to him. He'd changed so much after the fire. Granted, Mav had too... No memories today, please. Seeing Darrin had brought back enough of those. Maverick felt a weight on his legs and opened his eyes to see Forge staring up at him expectantly. "Oh, hello, kitty," he said, a smile coming back to him as he scratched the cat behind the ears. "Yes, I missed you too. Sorry Daddy had to go away for a while. It was boring stuff anyway, you weren't missing out on anything." Forge, apparently satisfied by the explanation, curled up on his master's lap.

"How may I be of service, m'lady?" Nicolae bowed and his hat fell off. "Aww, hell," he swore, kneeling to pick it up. He gritted his teeth. Don't swear in front of the lady, Nico. C'mon, pull yourself together. What's wrong with you this morning, hmm?

Nico turned around begrudgingly and easily spotted the closet door. It was towards the back, rather obscured by the wall. "Ah, it's back here, miss. I'd get your clothes me-self, but I dunno what you're gonna be wanting."

"How should I know, miss? I may know the castle better than most, but I don't a-know every room." He paused. "I can turn around an' help you miss. If you want..."

"Yes, I can do that just fine." He paused. "It's funny miss, I offered last night to lace up your corset. Didn't think I'd actually..." Nicolae shook his head and walked to the window again. "You tell me when to turn around, miss."

Nicolae sighed. "I could, but there's a number of reasons why that ain't a good idea and I ain't in the mood to list 'em off. I hope it suffices you that castle staff is in short supply and mornings is busy 'round here. I'm what you got, miss. I don't like it neither, but that's the way it is."

"Not yer own. But they'll obey you, if you flag 'em down."

Dammit, I dunno. He was yellin' at me, then proud, then yellin'... couldn't make up his mind. Nicolae shook his head. "I dunno, miss. But I'm here, doin' me duty." He walked up beside her bed with his hands behind his back, but refused to look at her. "Anythin' you want me to do, miss? We don't exactly have a morning routine."

Trust me, Nico thought. I don't wanna be. "I got reassigned this morning, miss. Ivian wants me to be your attendant, not his no more."

"I appreciate it, sir" said Mav. His expression and tone of voice were utterly devoid of any emotion. With a bow, he left the castle. He wasn't anxious anymore. He was just... dead.

"Your Majesty, I know you aren't likely to believe this, but... I don't think anyone hired Darrin. As far as I can tell the only thing that drove him to this was boredom." Maverick sighed. "He's always been a thrill seeker, Highness, but after the fire, he just... changed. He doesn't care who his actions hurt anymore. I don't think you'll get anything out of him from torture, but I do think that he might... Oh, I don't know. Just.." He squared his shoulders. "I would appreciate being updated as the situation progresses."

Maverick Oakenwey left the dungeons in a sour mood. His eyes were dark, his fists clenched, his breath coming even but hard. The guards escorted him back to the king and Mav bowed.

The cell was boring. Darrin laid with his back against the floor, feet on the wall while he chewed on a piece of straw. He'd have to find some way to make his stay here more interesting... His first visit with the Raveness had been... minorly enjoyable, it he was being honest. She'd talked with him, tested him for allergies he might have to the ingredients she used. She was a surprisingly energetic woman, and bright too. Despite her messy profession, every surface was clean and there were books on the shelves, ones that looked to be hand-bound. He suspected they were full of recopies and handwritten notes from a lifetime of practice. Evil or not, she was incredibly passionate about her craft and that was something Darrin could respect. “You know, I can’t say I’m surprised to see you in here, Darrin. But it does make me a little sad that you actually did end up the way I predicted you would.” Darrin paled, his stomach dropping with an unexpected flurry of buried emotion. That voice. He hadn’t heard that voice in… Fear embraced his heart. If it wasn’t his brother speaking, then he would end up disappointed. And if it was Mav, well, then. He was in for quite the chastising. He braced himself and stole a glance at whoever had come to speak with him, pulling the straw out of his mouth. “Maverick?” A hard face glared at him through the bars. The years had changed Darrin’s brother quite a bit, but his disapproving eyes remained the same. Not even the Raveness herself could make Darrin feel nearly as uncomfortable or afraid as that man did. It hadn’t always been that way, of course, but neither of them liked to think back to those times. Darin got up off his back, walking towards the bars in disbelief. “Why?” Maverick asked simply. Silence. The mercenary was far too surprised to say anything. And more than that... Darrin had no explanation. Not for Maverick and… not for himself either. “Oh, why do I even ask anymore…” The taller man shook his head ruefully. “Did you have to go after the king, Darrin? Did you really have to?” “Well, you know me, brother. Can’t do anything halfway.” Darrin’s words were met with an eyeroll. “You would have me believe that you haven’t changed a bit in the years since I last saw you. But even you’re not that doltish. So tell me. What made you have the death wish that led you to do all this, hmm?” “I don’t have a death wish.” Maverick slammed the bars, a sudden burst of intense anger overtaking him. Despite himself, Darrin flinched. “Then WHY’D you do it, huh, why?!" Maverick boomed. Prisoners in nearby cells turned heads. "I know it wasn’t for whatever amount of money you were offered and I know you didn’t want to get caught, so why?” Again, silence. Darrin only stood there, open mouthed. “I… I don’t know. I don’t know, Maverick. I mean… what do you want me to even say? That I did it to get some sort of revenge? That I’ve joined the rebellion? That I snapped and went crazy? I just… I thought I could do it. And I couldn’t. That’s it, there’s nothing else to it.” Maverick’s anger appeared to melt, his hands slipping off the bars, his gaze turning towards the floor. “Well, alright then. Fine.” As he walked away, Darrin blurted, “I’m going to die, Mav.” A heavy blanket of tension fell between them. “They’re going to execute me.” Darrin gulped. Though Maverick stopped in place, he did not turn to face his brother. “Good. You’re finally going to realize that your actions have consequences.” With that, Maverick left the dungeon, leaving Darrin alone once more to await his next session with the Raveness.

Maverick smiled, though his usually charm just wasn't in it. "No reward is necessary. I'm well off as is..."

Mav considered. "... perhaps. I don't intend to stay long, however. He'll make me too angry and I'm certain he'd catch on; figure out I was trying to get info. Still, I can do my best."

Mav chuckled. "I know your Raven is good, but you don't know Darrin. He won't break that fast. It would just be easier for him to talk to me now. I don't want to be long. I just want him to know how disappointed I am."

But I have to get home to my cat... "How long will that take?" Mav asked with a sigh.

Mav furrowed his brow, eyes dark. "Your Majesty... I would like to see him. We didn't end things very well, I want to at least get a glimpse of the man he's turned into. I may not approve of the road he's gone down, but he's still my little brother."